The capital of the Aquitaine region, Bordeaux is synonymous across the globe with wine. The Romans introduced the first vineyards over 2,000 years ago and Bordeaux has boomed as a wine-producing region ever since. It now turns out around 800m bottles each year thanks to a maritime climate and calcium-rich soil.

Bordeaux is also renowned for its classical and neoclassical architecture, its appearance largely unaltered in 200 years. It boasts more protected buildings than any French city other than Paris, though it remains a vibrant town in which commerce continues to play an important role. Bordeaux's location on the Garonne river has always been key to its trading tradition and the quays have recently undergone considerable renovation.

Useful websites
www.bordeaux-tourisme.com/
www.bordeaux.fr/

Stade de Bordeaux
UEFA capacity: 42,000
Record attendance: n/a
Tenants: FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Due to open: Summer 2015

• Work is due to begin in 2013 on the €184m arena, with ambitions to open by the start of the 2015/16 season.

• The stadium is designed by Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, the team behind the Fußball Arena München, and features a 'floating' roof supported by a large number of thin poles.

• Located between a man-made lake and the Garonne river in north Bordeaux, it will replace the Stade Chaban-Delmas – venue for games at the 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups – as home for the Girondins.